Shim deflecting means for coin chute



March 4, 1969 M A, HALL 3,430,747

SHIM DEFLECTING MEANS FOR COIN CHUTE Filed Feb. 9, 1967 40 36 20 /3 c s/ 66 70 F IG-I /6 C ll A' l! VL l INVENTOR MITCHELL A. HALL ATTURNEY United States Patent 3,430,747 Patented Mar. 4, 1969 lice 3,430,747 SHIM DEFLECTING MEANS FOR 'CIN CHUTE Mitchell A. Hall, 445 Rossford Ave., Fort Thomas, Ky. 41075 Filed Feb. 9, 1967, Ser. No. 614,830 U.S. Cl. 194--92 Int. Cl. 607i' 3/02 1 Claim ABSTRACT F THE DISCLOSURE This invention relates to a shim deflecting means for coin chutes, the purpose of which is to prevent use of a thin metallic shim as a means for disabling a slide latch of a coin chute and surreptitiously obtaining articles or services from a dispensing machine controlled by the cOin chute.

In the construction of coin chutes, various forms of devices are incorporated for the testing of coins or tokens fed into the coin chute by a coin slide usually manipulated by a patron. If a coin or token passes the various tests to which it is subjected, the coin slide is permitted movement to a position of full advancement, at which position the coin slide initiates operation of a dispensing machine associated therewith, for the dispensing of an article, a service, a game pla yor the like. Should the coin or token fail to pass all the tests imposed, one or more latches or barriers will perform to limit advancement of the coin slide so as to prevent actuation of the dispensing machinery.

Artful persons heretofore have employed thin ribbonlike metallic shims or Wires inserted into the coin slide passageway, and maneuvered into position for nullifying the protective effect of latches, barriers, and the like, intended to thwart illegal operation of the dispensing machinery without a deposit of acceptable coins into the coin slide.

An object of the present invention is to provide in a coin chute construction, effective means to prevent a successful use of shims for obtaining illegal free play or surreptitious dispensation of goods or services without payment therefor.

Anoher object of the invention is to provide means for preventing successful illegal use of shims for the purpose stated, which means may be incorporated in a coin chute construction very simply and inexpensively incident to manufacture of the coin chute.

A furtherv object is to provide means of the character stated, lwhichwill not interfere with free and easy normal manipulation of the coin slide.

The foregoing and other objects are attained by the means described herein and illustrated upon the accompanying drawing, in which:

FIG. 1 is a top plan view of a coin chute construction embodying the present invention, wherein parts not concerned with the invention have been omitted from the disclosure for purposes of clarity and simplicity thereof.

FIG. 2 is a fragmentary top plan View on an enlarged scale, partly broken away to show certain details of the FIG. l device.

FIG. 3 is a bottom view of FIG. 2.

FIG. 4 is an enlarged cross-section taken on line 4-4 of FIG. 2, showing a coin slide latch in the inoperative position.

FIG. 5 is a View similar to FIG. 4, showing the coin slide latch in operative position to limit advancement of the slide.

FIG. 6 is an enlarged perspective view, partly broken away, and showing the latched slide condition of FIG. 5.

In the several `drawing views, a coin slide 10 is shown mounted for longitudinal reciprocation upon an elongate body or housing l2, from a position of retraction (full liner) to a position of full advancement indicated by broken lines. When fully advanced, the inner end 14 of the coin slide. or some other portion thereof, is effective to initiate a dispensing function of a dispensing machine in accordance with common practice. For example, the fully advanced slide may actuate an electric switch controlling operation of the dispensing machine associated with the coin chute. As will be understood, an advancement of the coin slide short of full advancement, will not be effective to actuate the dispensing machine.

`Coin slide 10 may be provided at its outer exposed end with a suitable manipulating handle 16, for advancing the slide and one or more coins deposited in one or more coin apertures 18 provided in the slide near the handle. The slide may be substantially at throughout its length, and includes parallel side edges 20 and 22 bounding the upper and lower planar faces ofthe slide.

The coin chute construction may include the usual ratchet mechanism 24 operative upon rack teeth 26 carried by the slide, for precluding an improper repetitive partial reciprocation of the slide following a coin or token test and acceptance, in an attempt by the patron to illegally obtain more than one dispensation of goods or services in return for one coin or token deposit. The ratchet mechanism is ordinary, and forms no part of the present invention. l

Housing 12 may carry a coin slide latch 28 pivoted at 30 upon the housing, the latch being urged constantly toward one planar face of the slide by a spring 32. The coin slide 10, FIG. 4, may ride upon the smooth face 34 of the latch, holding the latch depressed against the force of spring 32. However, the latch may be projected as in FIGS. 5 and 6, by the action of spring 32, to enter an opening 36 in slide 10` upon partial advancement of the slide, for the purpose of precluding a full advancement of the slide in the event that a coin deposited in slide aperture 1S fails to pass a test, such as a calipering test.

The latch carries a nose or abutment edge 38 to engage an edge 40 of slide 10 if and when the slide is advanced carrying a coin which is unable to pass the caliper test. Such engagement of the latch occurs prior to lfull advancement of the slide (FIG. 5). If the coin passes the test, latch 28 will remain depressed as in FIG. 4, permitting unobstructed -full advancement of the slide to initiate a dispensing operation of the dispensing machine controlled thereby, as will be explained.

In FIGS. 3 and 4 is disclosed a typical coin-calipering means which controls the coin slide latch 28. The coincalipering means may comprise a caliper lever 42 pivoted upon housing 12 at 44, so that its end linger 46 may sweep from the full line position to the broken line position of FIG. 3. The finger 46 may sweep an inclined cam surface 48 of latch 28, to an extent determined lby the diameter and/or the thickness of a coin C advanced by slide from left to right.

Normally, a spring 50 attached to the butt end 52 of caliper lever 42, biases the lever toward one side of latch 28, leaving the latch free to move Ibetween the positions of FIGS. 4 and 5, under the influence of its spring 32. As long as the slide rests upon latch 28 in accordance with FIG. 4. the latch will remain depressed. With caliper lever 42 in the position of FIG. 3, latch 28 will be unrestrained for movement to the slide latching position of FIG. 4, upon such advancement of the slide as will register its opening 36 with the latch.

In order to restrain latch 28 against movement to the operative slide latching position of FIG. 5, it is necessary that caliper linger 46 be advanced along cam face 48 to a position approximating the broken line position of FIG. 3. As finger 46 so advances, it gradually ascends the cam face 48 to positively depress the latch toward the inoperative position of FIG. 4. If the finger 46 moves and holds the latch at the inoperative position of FIG. 4, coin slide 10 may proceed to advance without interference from the latch, to the fully advanced position for actuating a dispensing machine.

On the other hand, if caliper finger 46 moves only to an intermediate position on inclined cam face 48 so as to only partially retract the latch, the nose or abutment 38 thereof will drop into slide opening 36 as the slide advances, to latch the slide against full advancement.

The extent to which the tinger 46 of the caliper lever climbs onto cam face 48, depends upon the diameter and/ or the thickness of a coin passing between the measuring elements 54 and 56 of the calipering device. Element 54 may be a stationary shelf-like member upon which an edge of coin C rests as the coin advances with slide '10. Element 56 may be in the form of a rocker pivoted at 58 upon the housing or some stationary part thereof, said rocker having a longitudinally grooved head 60 to lbe engaged by the advancing coin, so that the coin may displace head 60 outwardly about pivot 5-8, to the broken line position of FIG. 2.

Head l60 as moved by coin C, will bear upon an integral lug 62 of lever 42 (FIG. 3), so that outward displacement of rocker head 60 will move lever 42 about its pivot 44 toward the broken line position of FIG. 3. As previously stated, spring 50 biases lever 42 toward the full line position, the spring having anchorage at 64 upon a normally stationary plate 63 which is in fixed relationship to housing 12. Plate 63 may be mounted upon a sub-frame 61 of housing 12, which sub-frame may be in the form of a plate xedly secured to the housing. Member 61 may support the measuring elements 54, 56 and the pivot 44 of calipering lever 42, as well as other parts of the coin chute mechanism not necessarily disclosed herein.

e1f the coin C is a proper one, it will displace measuring head 60 far enough outwardly to move calipering lever 42 to the broken line position of FIG. 3'. Such disposition of the calipering lever enforces a sweep of linger 46 across cam face 48, to depress latch 28 to the FIG. 4 position, thereby to free the slide 10 for advancement past the latch.

Should coin C be undersize, it will insufficiently move the head y60 of measuring element 56, and as a consequence, calipering lever nger 46 may assume an intermediate position upon cam face 48, leaving latch 28 free to at least partially enter slide `aperture 36 as the coin slide advances, thereby to preclude a full advancement of the slide. Further details of the calipering mechanism,

4 if needed, may be found in my issued United States Patent No. 3,200,926, dated Aug. 17, 1965.

Attention is now directed to FIGS. 4 and 5, showing a thin ribbon-like metallic shim S inserted into the housing passageway beneath slide 10, in an attempt to reach latch 28 and hold it in the inoperative position of FIG. 4, thereby to make possible a full advancement of the coin slide without the deposit of a proper coin in slide aperture 18. Such use of the shim S is thwarted by one or more depending anti-theft lugs 66 extended from the underface 68 of the coin slide to intercept the leading end of the shim before it can reach the latch.

The anti-theft lug or lugs 66 should be located upon the coin slide close to opening 36, between stop edge 40 and coin-receptive aperture 18. If only one such lug is employed, it should be of sufficient width to form a barrier across the full width of latch nose 38. In a preferred construction, a plurality of anti-theft lugs is provided, in a transverse line upon the slide reaching across the width of the latch nose. The lugs may very simply and inexpensively be struck from the metal of the slide, to depend from its underfaee 68, with a limited space occurring between the lugs.

Where the lugs 66 overlie the housing, the housing preferably is longitudinally grooved or channeled, as at 70, 70, to provide runways in which the lugs may freely move as the slide reciprocates. The channels 70, with the rib 72 between them, form with the lugs a shim barrier which in cross-section is serpentine, to effectively bar penetration of the thinnest possible maneuverable shim S, even though the shim might be subject to bend ing or distortion across its width. The serpentine barrier tends to bind the shim and prevent maneuverability thereof.

The anti-theft lugs will be seen to not only bar the shim end from reaching the latch 28, but will serve also to deflect the shim sidewise away from the latch as the shim approaches it. By this means, any attempt to disable the latch for obtaining free play or illegal dispensation of goods or services, is effectively rendered impossible. The presence of the anti-theft lugs, by reason of the fact that they may move with considerable clearance within the channels 70, offer no interference to smooth and easy reciprocation of the coin slide. Moreover, the anti-theft means disclosed may be incorporated in a coin chute construction very simply and with negligible cost.

What is claimed is:

1. In a coin chute device, a substantially flat elongate coin slide having upper and lower planar faces, opposed side edges, an outer handle end, and an opposite inner end, said slide being apertured in the planar faces at a location intermediate the ends thereof to receive a coin; an elongate housing having opposed inner and outer ends, and an open-ended passageway for slidably supporting the coin slide for reciprocation between a retracted position and an advanced position of the inner end of the slide, an opening in the slide, the edge of the opening on the coin side thereof providing an abutment, a coin testing device on the housing in position to engage a coin movable with the slide upon partial advancement of the slide, said testing device including a member displaceable by the coin prior to full advancement of the slide, a latch on the housing movable between an operative position in engagement with the slide abutment to latch the slide against full advancement, and an inoperative depressed position at which the latch is out of the path of advancement of the slide abutment; cooperative means on the latch and the displaceable member of the coin testing device for moving the latch to inoperative position as a proper coin is advanced past said testing device incident to advancement of the coin slide, longitudinal grooves formed in the housing in alignment with said latch, a plurality of closely spaced anti-theft lugs struck from the material of the coin slide and positioned on the bottom 5 6 of the slide in a transverse line upon the coin side close References Cited to said edge of said opening and parallel therewith and UNITED STATES PATENTS arranged across the width of the latch in operative position between the abutment and the handle end of the slide, said lugs extending into said grooves for sliding 5 movement therein and providing a shim barrier ser entine in cross-section, each of said lugs having a plnar WALTER SOBIN Prlmary Examiner face extending normal to said lower planar face of the U s C1 XR slide, substantially spanning its respective groove, and 194 97 facing in the direction of the handle end. 10

1,897,193 2/1933 Hall et al. 194-92 3,200,926 8/1965 Hall 194--92 

